Machine for cashing bottles



UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEioE.

A. H. RAUCH, OF BETHLEHEM, PENNSYLVANIA.

MACHINE FOR WASHING BOTTLES.

`Specification of Letters Patent No. 11,000, dated June 6, 1854.

To all whom t may concern i Be it known that I, AMBRosE H. RAUCH, of Bethlehem, in the county of Northainp--i ton and State of Pennsylvania, have in. vented a new 'and useful Improvement in4 Machines for Washing Bottles; and I dohereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the sarne,V reference being-had to the accompanying; drawings, forming part of this specificationg Figure l, is a `front elevat-ion, and partial: section of themachine, as it appears when prepared for, or is in, operation. Fig. 2, is? az vertical transverse section of the same, as; it appears when ready to receive the bottles,1 the treadles being depressed, the forkorf hollow cone for `causing the bottle to revolve; being elevated, and the flexible or expanding and folding brush and frame, being shown folded ready tobe inserted into the bottle. Fig. 3, is adetached view of the water pipe, and the expanding or folding frame or brush, `it being shown unfolded, and as it appears when in the bottle, and in use. i

i Similar letters of reference in each of the several figures indicate `corresponding parts.` This invention relates to certain new andY useful improvements whereby bottles ofiall sizes and descriptions can be washed per-` fectly clean; on their outer and inner surfaces at the same time, with great facility and despatch. j

`The nature of my invention consists, in arectangular shaped folding brush, which has three of its sidesmade ofsolid strips, and set with brushes or bristles, which serve to cleanse the bottom, shoulder and sides of the bottle, at one operation, while its otherside is made hollow, and serves as a canal for supplying a constant stream of clear Water to the interior of the bottle, to facilitate the cleansing operation; and the j whole being united together by hinge joints, `in such a manner that, when the brush is folded, the cross-piece which carries the brush for cleansing the bottom of the bottle will assumea position in line, and parallel with the hollow stem, while the pieces carrying the side and shoulder brushes, assume a vertical position in line with each other,

, and lie parallelly and snugly alongside the stem and cross strip which carries the bottom brush. By thus constructing folding brushes, great `compactness with durability tum in such a device; for it is necessary to have itsinall enough to enter with facility, the neck of di'erent sized bottles; and, at the same time, durable and capable of bearing the strain and resist-ance brought against it, (as the bottle revolves), after the bristle holes have been drilled in it on one side, and the wire course cut in it on the other side. The want of compactness has long been the difficulty attending the expanding brush, as is the case in the expanding brush, illustrated in Brevets ZInoentz'on, vol.` `72, plate 23.

When this brush is folded, the three framing "pieces lie on top of each other. This I way ofarranging andconnecting the parts, renders the brush so bulky when folded, that it cannot, with facility, be inserted into the bottle, if it isV made strong enough to withstand the strain and wear` to which it` is subj ected, when the bottles are kept running by machinery. j, i i j My invention consists, 2d, in thle employment of the revolving adjustable hollow cone, or its equivalent, which is so ar- 7 ranged and operated, that it takes hold on the bottom `of the bottle, (which4 is inverted, and has itsmouth resting in a socket), and causes it to revolve rapidly, when the machinery is in operation,jand brings its inl ner `and' outer surface in contact with the inside and outside cleansing brushes. j

My invention consists,` 3d, in the employment of the stationary inside and outside brushes, arranged in the manner herein described, in combination with the revolving cone, and inside and outside branch pipes of the elevated reservoir, which supply con* stant streams of clean water to the inside and outside of the bottle the whole render-y ing the operation of Washing bottles by machinery very convenient and effectual, as will be hereinafter shown.

My invention also consists in arranging a spring between the stem and the side brush-said spring serving to expand the brush as shown as it gets into the body` of the bottle;

My invention consists, 5th, in a `novel self adjusting arrangement for accomplishing three different objects simultaneous with one another: 1st, for folding the expanding frame and retaining it thus ready for eni tering the mouth of the bottle; 2d, for `eleiio - water until it runs off through the pipes ap-4 xz'o ,propriated for the purpose. j

vating or adjusting thev revolving cone, so that it may be out of the way when the botble is being placed over the expanding brush; and 3d, for shutting o the supply of water while putting another bottle, to be washed, over the expanding brush.

Tov enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

having a partit-ion or horizontal platform,

B, Vfor the bottles to rest upon while. beingv washed; and-there being a suitable trough or receptacle, C, to catch and hold the dirty Y D, is the hollow tube or stem of the inside brush; it passes up vertically through the bottle carrier, a, and then passes into the j 4v bottle in the manner shown in Fig. l. The

carrier, a, which `ts in the stand,A serving to keep the pipe, D, in'proper position, and

also to receive the mouth of the bottle, as' shown in Fig. l. The pipe, D, -is open at itsv top, so as to discharge the water into the bottle; it is also coupled, by a link nut, to another short vertical pipe, D", which communicates with the main pipe, F, as

seen in Fig. l. The object in dividing thevertical pipe into two sections, D, `D, is, t-hatD, may be elevated or lowered, so as toj raise or lower the expanding brush, and thereby adapt it to differentheights of bottles; the link nut, b, serving to adjust the same as may be requisite.

Gais a cock, in the short pipe, D', ,for letting on, and shutting oftl the supply ofy water from the vmain pipe, F; this cock and its operation will be described hereafter?- it being connected tov the arrangement for keeplng folded the insidebrush, and is operated simultaneously with the folding of` l passing into the bottle, is caused to expand,

as shown in Figs. 1, and 3, by means of the spring, g.

I, are the bristles which are secured in the side, bottom, and shoulder strips of the frame, H, and serve to wash the entire inner surface ofthe bottle.

J, is a branch pipe from that, D; it serves to supply water to wash the outside of Afrepresents a frame to, and in which the mechanism for performing the 'operationsy beforementioned, is attached and arranged.; This frame may be made after the plan` shown, or any other more appropriate; it

the bottle;` this pipe v'passes up through the shown coming from the reservoir, and passj ing up through the pipe, D, D', and branch, J, into the bottle, and against its outside, and then descending and lpassing out through the mouth of the bottle, and down its outside, from which it l continues 'its course, and falls into the receptacles, C, M, N, and passes of through the pipes, O, P, Q.

It should be mentioned, that while the water is being injected into, and up, against the outside of the bottle, that the bottle has a rapid revolving motion communicated to it thro-ugh the cone, P, which fits aroundits bottom; and, as the motion is-communicated to the said cone by means of the pulley and bands, at the top of the machine, it is caused to revolve, and consequently, the vbottle with' it; the cone may be employed for this purpose, or a fork having three spring teeth, or tines,may be used instead thereof.

The machine may be driven by hand,

through the crank shaft, h, or by steam or otherwise through the driving shaft, i; the bevel gearing, y', la, giving the yrequired speed.

To elevate the cone, I attach a vertical jointed rod, S, to the treadle, and connect it with the shaft of the cone, in the manner shown in Fig. 2. And, to operate the cock, G', and thereby shut. off the water, I attach an arm, T, to the square end of the cock, and attach the other end of said arm by a setscrew, to the vertical joint rod, S, in the manner shown in Figs. l, and 2. The set screw plays freely in an oblong slot, formed in thefarm, T. As said arm and vertical rod, S, adjust themselves to the downward,

or upward, movement of the treadle, one of said movements opening the cock, and the other closing it. And to retain the brush,

or expanding frame folded, and ready to pass into the bottle, simultaneous with the operation of raising the .cone and shutting the cock, I make the rod, S, of tapering shape, for a portion of its length, as seen in Fig. 2, at V, so that when the treadle is- '125 press the spiral spring, W, and cause it toV raised, this wedge, V, will be caused .to comact on the pendulous folder, whose weighted end is forced rigidly'against the expanding frame, H, and made to retain it folded in the manner shown in Fig. 2,'til1 the bottles are placed over the tube, D; when the treadles are caused to descend, and the cone with them. The spring, W, expands; the weighted lever falls to its original position; the cock, G, opens; and the water flows into the bottle-as soon as this is done, the machine, if not already in motion, is again started, and the bottle and cone made to revolve rapidly against the brushes, and stripped of its impurities.

A bottle having been washed, the machine continues running. The treadle is depressed by the foot, at the same time the washed bottle is grasped by the hand, and raised with the cone,-the expanding frame, as it makes its exit from the bottle falls folded into the embrace of the spring, or pendulous folder, and is retained in that state by the same, until the spring is released, which should not be before another bottle has been presented, with the bottom in the cone, and neck down into the carrier. The operator has the dirty bottle in his right hand, and after depressing the treadle, takes the clean one away with his left hand, and places the dirty one in its place; and, when it is -properly set, releases his hold, and withdraws his weight from the treadles, and the washmg commences.

This machine, as represented in the drawing, has two run of bottles, or two stands for bottles. A machine may, however, have a larger numbersay six-in which case,

the bottles will have a longer time to be in motion, each running the length of time it takes to change the other five.` It is, however, necessary to have the expanding frame and outside brushes suited to the size of the bottles, as various sizes .can be washed inthe same machine, but not by the same size of brush.

The machine does not, of necessity, stop to have a new set of bottles put into it,

while the clean ones are removed. It being cleanse the shoulder, periphery, and bottom of the bottle, at the same operation, while it-s other side is made hollow, and serves as a canal for introducing a constant stream of clean water to the interior of the bottle, to facilitate the cleansing operation; and the whole united together by loose joints, c, d, e, f, in such a manner, that when the brush is folded, the cross-piece which carries the brush for cleansing the bottom of the bottle, will assume a position in line,

and parallel with the hollow stem, while the pieces carrying the side and shoulder brushes, assume a vertical position in line with each other, and lie parallelly and snugly alongside the stem and bottom brush, substantially as, and for the purpose herein set forth.

2. I do not claim washing bottles in an inverted position; but what I do claim, is the employment of the revolving cone, or its equivalent-which is so arranged and operated, that it takes hold on the bottle,

which is inverted, and has its mouth restment for accomplishing the three following objects :-lst,` folding the expanding frame, and retaining it thus, ready for entering the mouth of the bottle; 2d, for elevating the revolving cone, so that it may be out of the way, when the bottle is being placed Vover the brush; and 3d, for shutting olf the supply of water, while putting another bottle to be washed, over the expanding brush.

.5. I claim arranging a spring between the supply stem and the side strip of the brush frame, H, for the purpose of expanding the brush, as soon as it enters the body of the bottle, as herein fully set forth.

A. H. RAUCH.

Witnesses:

J. F. RAUGH, O. A. GREIDER. 

